Dermatology Coding Alert

Question: Can a physician who refers a patient to another physician (specialist) charge his patient a "no-show" referral fee if his patient does not keep the appointment with the specialist? I realize the specialist can charge a "no-show" fee if the patient does not show up for the appointment, but can the referring doctor charge a fee as well?

Illinois Subscriber

Answer: No, the referring physician should not charge a no-show fee to the patient in he is not the doctor expecting to see the patient.

Here's why: A no-show fee is designed to capture some money for the lost time and resources the missed appointment took up and the referring physician would not have lost anything.